The present invention relates to disposable wearing articles and more preferably to such articles provided with tape fasteners and adapted to be suitably used as diapers or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,890 (Citation 1) discloses a fastening means used for a disposable diaper comprising a tape strip folded with extendability in S- or Z-shape. This tape strip has a first end portion fixed to an outer surface of the diaper by means of first pressure-sensitive adhesive and a second end portion opposed to the first end portion wherein the second end portion may be pulled to unfold and thereby to extend the tape strip. The second end portion is coated on its inner surface with second pressure-sensitive adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,156 (Citation 2) also discloses a fastening means comprising a tape strip folded in Z-shape. This tape fastener is used in a manner similar to that in which the tape fastener disclosed in Citation 1 is used.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Gazette No. 1990-4372 (Citation 3) discloses a disposable absorbent product provided with a fastener system. This fastener system comprises a Y-shaped tape strip.
For the tape strip disclosed in Citation 1 and 2 normally folded in S- or Z-shape before actually used, it is likely that the tape strip might be easily peeled off from the outer surface of the diaper under a peeling force generated between the tape strip and the outer surface of the diaper as the tape strip is unfolded and extended. It will be effective to enhance an adhesive force of the pressure-sensitive adhesive for the purpose of preventing such peeling off of the tape strip. However, if the tape strip having such a high adhesive force is attached to the outer surface of the diaper formed from a nonwoven fabric, texture of the nonwoven fabric, more specifically, intertwined component fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric may be disentangled as the tape strip is pulled outward and the tape strip may fall off from the diaper together with these disentangled component fibers.
The Y-shaped tape strip used for the product disclosed in Citation 3 is attached to both the outer surface and the inner surface of the diaper by means of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on this tape strip to prevent the tape strip from readily falling off from the diaper as the tape strip is pulled outward. However, depending on the design, such Y-shape tape strip generally has poor extendability compared to the tape strip folded in S- or Z-shape.